8 Tricks to Optimize your Photoshop Workflow

Photoshop is a designer’s staple weapon, but because it hosts so many complex features, it can also slow you down in your tracks. Hacks and shortcuts on how you can optimize your workflow will help you save hours on editing – and who wouldn’t want that? 

These are the top 8 tricks to optimise your photoshop workflow and cut your screen time in half:

1. Save photoshop libraries

Why reinvent everything when you’ve found your optimal lens flares, color corrections, and textures that reflect your editing style? With libraries, you can save your go-to settings and pick them up with the click of a button.

2. Set up action keys 

Actions allow you to apply the same editing techniques to photos with the click of a button, which is particularly interesting if you’re editing a series of photos in the same style. Photoshop Actions is an excellent tool within Photoshop that will cut your editing time in half.

3. Make use of plugins

Plugins are great to expand what photoshop can do already and make your life easier. Additional add-on programs allow you to do things like getting access to stock images, selecting your perfect color from a wheel, creating your fonts, and removing image backgrounds.

4. Batch resize images

You batch resize many of your photos by running it through a script — which sounds more complicated than it is. Simply go to file -> scripts -> image processor, and you can apply the settings to the image you have open or to an entire folder. 

You can also select where it should be saved on your laptop once you’re done and what file type you’d like. You can then choose your image size by clicking on resize to fit, selecting width and height, and then selecting ‘run.’

5. Clone your style layers

Did you know that you can copy your style layers? Right-click on the layer whose style you want to copy, then go to ‘copy layer style.’ Once you’ve done that, click on the layer you want to apply your style, right-click, and select ‘paste layer style’ – et voila.

You can also drag and drop layer styles in the layer panel, but keep in mind that this will remove the original layer’s style.

6. Hide all other layers in one click

We all know you can make layers visible or hide them by clicking on the eye icon next to it, but did you know that you can hide all the unselected layers with the click of a button? Hold the Alt/Option button on your keyboard and press the eye icon next to your selected layer.

7. Alter brush size

You can alter photoshop brush sizes by using left and right brackets, smart, right?

8. Name & organize your layers

A designer’s equivalent to a clean desk: tidy, named, and organized photoshop layers. You can group them into sections, add descriptive names, and more. That way, you know exactly where everything is, especially for larger scope projects.

Photoshop is a vast application that has a ton of tricks up its sleeve.  But it can also become a little overwhelming, which is why shortcuts, structure, and knowing your way around simple methods to make you more productive are going to be a lifesaver (and massive timesaver) in the long run. What are your favorite photoshop productive hacks? We’d love to know in the comments below.